Immortal Refiner

Outside Longevity Valley, along the secret passage connecting the Liu Clan to the Heavenly River Sect’s spirit stone mine, thundering hooves trampled the ground.

The earth shook with the thunderous pounding of horses. Spirit stone miners, fresh from the mine tunnel, whipped their mounts into a frenzy, their faces contorted with terror.

Li Qing’s expression was particularly grim. He cursed the Liu Clan inwardly countless times.

”Damn it! That accursed Liu Clan really used us as bait to lure out the Flying Eagle Bandits!”

Sure enough, hot on their heels was a group of ferocious Bandit Cultivators. Above them soared a massive gray Sky-Rending Eagle, a mid-stage first-tier demon bird and the Flying Eagle Bandits’ prized aerial mount.

Whoosh!

Each piercing whistle of displaced air sent shivers down the spines of the galloping cultivators below.

The Sky-Rending Eagle was attacking, unleashing invisible wind blades that proved lethally effective. Within moments of the Liu Clan’s spirit stone miners encountering the Flying Eagle Bandits, two miners had already fallen victim to these eerie, ethereal projectiles.

The Sky-Rending Eagle’s wind blades were impossible to evade, each strike launched from above with razor-sharp precision and terrifying speed.

”Everyone, hold on just a little longer!” Liu Haitian, riding at the head of the group, shouted, desperately trying to rally their spirits. ”Once we reach the spirit stone mine and gain the protection of the upper sect disciples, we’ll be safe!”

Even he knew their situation was dire. With a demon bird capable of swift, high-altitude attacks, their enemies held all the cards.

While cultivators could wield Magic Artifacts for flight, those in the Qi Refining Realm found their speed inadequate and mana reserves quickly depleted. Anyone foolish enough to take to the skies would become an easy target.

Li Qing understood this all too well. Their only hope for survival lay in their spirit steeds.

Silently, he slipped his hand inside his robe, his fingertips securing a Windwalk Talisman, ready to slap it onto his mount at a moment’s notice. He had rehearsed this escape countless times in his mind. No matter what, he would outrun everyone else!

Fortunately, Li Qing had anticipated the Flying Eagle Bandits’ attack and brought all his talismans with him.

Lightweight, convenient, and readily accessible—these were the advantages of talismans.

Finally, Liu Haitian, riding at the front, could no longer bear to watch. If the spirit beast continued its aerial assault, the casualties among the spirit stone miners would rise, causing even the Liu Clan to feel the pinch. After all, each miner was a source of their precious spirit stones.

”Hmph, accursed beast,” Liu Haitian muttered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He slapped his storage pouch, and a fan-shaped magical artifact materialized in his hand.

The fan was engraved with vibrant emerald-green spirit patterns. With a swift flourish, Liu Haitian channeled spiritual energy into the artifact.

The green patterns on the fan glowed faintly as several jade-green wooden spikes shot forth from between its ribs.

Shoosh! Shoosh! Shoosh!

The spikes streaked upward with incredible speed and accuracy, targeting the Sky-Rending Eagle.

Flap! Flap!

Caught off guard, the eagle frantically beat its wings, narrowly dodging the barrage. Only a few feathers were dislodged.

”Everyone, run! I’ve sent the signal! Reinforcements from the clan are on their way. Once we reach the spirit stone mine and join forces with the sect disciples, we’ll wipe out these damned Bandit Cultivators!” Liu Haitian roared, his voice echoing across the landscape.

Though a Late Qi Refining Realm cultivator with considerable combat prowess, he wasn’t foolish enough to believe he could single-handedly stop the entire Flying Eagle Bandits force.

As for the disorganized miners, Liu Haitian held no illusions about their combat effectiveness. Most hadn’t even brought their storage pouches, and their lack of experience meant that leading them into battle against the bandits would likely result in a one-sided massacre.

Liu Haitian’s words struck a chord with the miners, who seized them like a lifeline. They frantically cracked their whips, urging their spirit horses to greater speed.

Meanwhile, Li Qing, seeing that Liu Haitian had temporarily diverted the dangerous Sky-Rending Eagle, finally retrieved a Windwalk Talisman from his robe and slapped it onto his spirit horse.

Bang!

The talisman’s intricate patterns flashed briefly as Li Qing’s mount surged forward with astonishing new speed.

Li Qing’s spirit steed surged forward, leaving the others in its dust. In an instant, his mount bolted at full speed, abandoning all concern for drawing attention. With the Flying Eagle Bandits’ attention focused on Liu Haitian, this was the perfect moment to escape.

Moments later, several other spirit steeds burst forth, their riders employing similar tactics: some activated Lightness Talismans, others Windwalk Talismans, and a few even fed their mounts potent pills to unleash their hidden potential.

Within moments, this group had distanced themselves from the main force, racing at breakneck speed toward the Heavenly River Sect’s spirit stone mine.

Behind them, the leader of the pursuing Flying Eagle Bandits wore a chillingly grim expression. Clad in a gray-white feathered cloak, his face was sullen, his eyes radiating a predatory intensity.

”Heh, Liu Haitian’s as slippery as ever, refusing to engage us directly,” the Demon Eagle Wanderer sneered, watching Liu Haitian expertly manage both his galloping steed and the Sky-Rending Eagle circling above.

”Perhaps...” a cultivator beside him, also in the Late Qi Refining Realm, ventured tentatively.

”No, the Heavenly River Sect’s spirit stone mine is just ahead, and the Liu Clan’s reinforcements are closing in from behind. There’s no need to linger. Let’s just kill a few more spirit stone miners to make the Liu Clan feel the sting.”

As he spoke, the Demon Eagle Wanderer summoned a magic artifact bristling with razor-sharp blades. A faint, unsettling aura emanated from it, threatening to induce dizziness in anyone who gazed upon it for too long.

A high-grade magical artifact—the Phantom Wind Feather Blade!

Shaped like a massive feather composed of countless metallic feathers, each raised edge glinted with an icy, chilling light. Intricate, dark spirit patterns covered the artifact’s surface, forming a seamless web.

As the Demon Eagle Wanderer channeled his spiritual energy into it, the dim patterns instantly began to glow with a faint radiance.

Buzz!

The spirit patterns ignited one by one, causing the artifact’s spiritual energy to surge dramatically.

In the next breath, the Demon Eagle Wanderer unleashed the Phantom Wind Feather Blade, sending it crashing into the densely packed crowd of cultivators.

A torrential storm of wind blades, interspersed with streaks of spiritual light, rained down upon the cultivators like an inescapable deluge.

Naturally, not all of the densely packed wind blades carried substantial destructive force. Some were mere illusions, yet they were so lifelike that they were nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.

Liu Haitian, who had just been holding back the Sky-Rending Eagle, now wore a grim expression. He sensed an overwhelming threat emanating from the raging torrent of wind blades.

This is dangerous!

But he couldn’t stand by and watch so many spirit miners perish. Abandoning his attempt to contain the eagle, he formed a spell seal with one hand, unleashing an equally formidable surge of spiritual energy from within.

Boom!

The spiritual energy in the surrounding mine tunnels began to surge violently, particularly the wood-attribute energy, which seemed to boil over.

In an instant, clusters of vibrant green trees burst forth from the ground, forming a dense, natural barrier that intercepted the vast majority of the wind blade torrent.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The razor-sharp wind blades tore through the hastily conjured foliage, but only a fraction managed to strike the spirit miners.

Having accomplished this feat, Liu Haitian’s face turned deathly pale, clearly showing the immense spiritual energy expenditure required for such a powerful spell.

”Let’s go!” Liu Haitian barked, charging forward without another word.

Behind him, the Demon Eagle Wanderer slowly raised his hand, halting the bandits’ pursuit.

”Enough. Loot the spirit stone miners’ corpses along the road, then let’s get out of here.”

”The Liu Clan’s reinforcements are on their way, and the mine ahead belongs to the Heavenly River Sect. If we get caught in a pincer attack, we’ll be in serious trouble.”

With that, the Flying Eagle Bandits abandoned their pursuit and swiftly began scavenging the battlefield. Those spirit stone miners who still clung to life were finished off without mercy.

The bandits were clearly well-versed in corpse looting. Within minutes, they had stripped the bodies of every last possession.

”Damn, not a single storage pouch! I heard these miners aren’t allowed to bring them into the mine.”

”Enough grumbling. Let’s move! The Liu Clan’s reinforcements will be here any minute.”

Soon, the Flying Eagle Bandits, who had been wreaking havoc just moments before, vanished from the secret passage, melting into the dense mountain forests on either side.

(End of the Chapter)

📖Read [IR] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c250. [+4/7.5k].

🎁All [2] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.

🔥Translated [700+] Chapters and [1.42M+] Words.